Myrna Loy Continues to Struggle with Feline HCM, CHF, and the End for Her Life May Be Nearing

Facebook post April 13, 2015:

Myrna looking out the window post cardio visit 4/13/15

Myrna at cardio. A lot of fluid to withdraw despite meds and lower breathing rate of 40 which is still high. She said that Myrna is in decline and to unfortunately begin to see that Myrna is nearing the end. We don't believe she's there yet. But only time , God,and Myrna will tell us.



Facebook post April 15, 2015:

We continue to monitor Myrna. She was quiet Tuesday and needed 1/4 Mirtazapine by dinner time. She also needed 1/2 Torsemide once each during the late afternoon and evening as her breathing rate ticked up to 36-we want to try to stay ahead as much as we can and bring it down as fast as we can. She has been up and moving about, even jumping up on the shelves in the basement where she likes to sit. I am determined that she outlive yet another projection of life expectancy since the cardio said she thought she would be dying soon due to frequency of congestion. But then that's not what was said just last week. But we all know how quickly things progress with this disease.

Myrna sleeping 4/12/15

Myrna-left; Elizabeth-right; Lizzie cleans Myrna 4/15/15

Facebook post April 18, 2015: 

Myrna has needed 2.5mg extra torsemide about four times a day now. We are also pushing more potassium. I've let tablets stand and melt in water which is added to her vitamin/sweet potato goop as well as the three halves she gets four times a day. She has gone from about 1700mg+ of potassium to almost 4000mg a day now. She's drinking fine but her output isn't as frequent-every two hours last weekend; more 3 hours now. Despite pushing potassium, the need for more torsemidecould be damaging her kidneys which means the diuresis process is slowing down and not getting rid of congestion as well as it once did. Her breathing rate is around 36 per minute except for the hour after we've pushed more torsemide and it has kicked in. But then back up it goes to 36-40. (Norm is 24 for a non-congested cat.) She has slowed down these last two days but continues to eat, climb her cat tree, bound up to the top shelves, and run up the stairs. But then she is also stumbling getting in and out of the litter box, walking slowly with an uneasy gait at times, and of course, breathing heavily. We've discussed when she might be ready to go to sleep, if we want to do it when things are more under control and not when we are rushing her to the ER. There's a matter of who and where: her vet goes on vacation next week. We want either the cardio's Novi office to do it if we have a choice or maybe Michigan State vet school where we want to donate her organs for research. I will discuss it on Monday with her cardio. She may have another week or two with us; we don't believe she'll have another month; we don't think we'll struggle through yet another hot summer with her as we have the last two. I'm really sorry to say that.